Petition · past parliament
Stop the genocide of innocent Syrians; investigate the use of chemical weapons
Rejected
18 signatures
What the petition asks
On 04 April 2017, a massacre by chemical weapons took place in the Idlib province of Syria, killing >50 people; hundreds more were critically injured. Air strikes were carried out on medical facilities prior to and after the chemical attack. This is a violation of International Humanitarian Law.
There should be protection and respect for emergency services and health care workers to allow them to fulfill their duties. The use of chemical weapons is a war crime, and there have been many reports of the use of these during the last 6 years of the Syrian conflict.
This petition demands to know what the UK government intends to do to stop the genocide of innocent Syrians by the Assad regime.
This petition demands to know what the UK government intends to do to stop the genocide of innocent Syrians by the Assad regime.
Why it was rejected
It was not clear what the petition asked the UK Government or Parliament to do.
Investigating the use of chemical weapons in Syria is the responsibility of the Joint Investigative Mechanism of the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, not the UK Parliament or Government.
In a statement on April 4, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said:
"The OPCW is investigating the incident in southern Idlib under the on-going mandate of the Fact-Finding Mission (FFM), which is “to establish facts surrounding allegations of the use of toxic chemicals, reportedly chlorine, for hostile purposes in the Syrian Arab Republic”. The OPCW cannot and will not release information about an on-going investigation. This policy exists to preserve the integrity of the investigatory process and its results as well as to ensure the safety and security of OPCW experts and personnel involved. All parties are asked to respect the confidentiality parameters required for a rigorous and unimpeded investigation."
You can find out more here:
https://www.opcw.org/news/article/media-brief-reported-use-of-chemical-weapons-southern-idlib-syria-4-april-2017/
A UK Government-supported UN measure calling on the Syrian Government to comply with the OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism was vetoed by Russia in the UN Security Council on April 1.
You can find out more here:
https://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=56554#.WO9rfmnysnS
In a statement on April 4, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said:
"The OPCW is investigating the incident in southern Idlib under the on-going mandate of the Fact-Finding Mission (FFM), which is “to establish facts surrounding allegations of the use of toxic chemicals, reportedly chlorine, for hostile purposes in the Syrian Arab Republic”. The OPCW cannot and will not release information about an on-going investigation. This policy exists to preserve the integrity of the investigatory process and its results as well as to ensure the safety and security of OPCW experts and personnel involved. All parties are asked to respect the confidentiality parameters required for a rigorous and unimpeded investigation."
You can find out more here:
https://www.opcw.org/news/article/media-brief-reported-use-of-chemical-weapons-southern-idlib-syria-4-april-2017/
A UK Government-supported UN measure calling on the Syrian Government to comply with the OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism was vetoed by Russia in the UN Security Council on April 1.
You can find out more here:
https://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=56554#.WO9rfmnysnS
Timeline
| 5 Apr 2017 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 21 Apr 2017 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
18
Status
Rejected
Rejected
21 Apr 2017
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.